That’s the rent, take it or leave it

What is on the mind of an apartment owner who rents a 70 sq.m. flat, in an old building in Athens’ central Pangrati district, for 800 euros? It is renovated, but it is squeezed in a narrow street, with a tiny balcony. It is not the only egregious example. Dozens of such ads for rentals are published daily or recycled in groups with desperate people looking for an apartment and telling their stories.

Eurostat data summarize this unbearable socioeconomic reality: Greeks pay, on average, 37% of their income on housing, the highest percentage in the EU. In cities, they pay over 40%.

The government attempts to intervene with moderate housing programs. However, in the meetings between the two sides, the owners and the renters, logic seems to have been abandoned. So, apart from the facts (that low wages are not balanced by existing tax cuts) and the inevitable domino effect (one problem affects the other), there are also the absurd demands that appear daily. Obviously, the owners also have their own arguments: Collecting rent often contributes to a low pension or limited finances. Still, ruthless exploitation cannot become a synonym for “utilizing” an asset. Furthermore, the Greek stock of properties for sale or rent is old, with their average age exceeding 40 years.

It is not only the purchase and rental market in Greece that is unregulated, but also the behavior of the owners. Negotiations with potential renters do not obey any rules, but only the mentality of “take it or leave it.” The network of causes that connects and influences the issue of housing is complicated – it starts with tax evasion and ends with meager salaries. Once again, the extended family is called upon to fill the gaps, to weave a safety net for its younger members, to grant or share housing.

The consequences for the balance of this social ecosystem are obvious. Within this complex reality, in addition to the lack of housing offered for rent or purchase, another element emerges: the surge of blind self-interest, a product of the most solid individualism, that is not only strengthened by poverty but also by the unaccountability of Greek society.